Rock Band content to be cheaper than Guitar Hero 3 songpacks

The Rock Band downloadable content has been announced: low prices, a la carte …

Downloadable content has been a hit for the Guitar Hero franchise, but the price is a little higher than most would like, and the only way to buy the songs is in packs of three. Not ideal. GameSpot has broken the news of what we can expect from the downloadable content for Rock Band, however, and I'm happy to say that Harmonix, MTV, and EA seem to have listened to the complaints. The song packs for the multi-instrumental game will be $5.40 instead of the $6.25 we're used to from Guitar Hero. Better yet, you'll be able to buy the songs you want individually for $1.99, with some future songs being sold for between $0.99 and $2.99. The "vast majority" will be $1.99.

This is why it's good news to have two big-name music games on the market: competition! Hopefully, songs across the board will drop in price, but the ability to pick and choose what songs you want is already a very welcome change. Here is the schedule of downloadable content so far.

Week of November 20, 2007:

Metallica Pack

"Ride the Lightning"

"Blackened"

"And Justice for All"

The Police Pack

"Can't Stand Losing You"

"Synchronicity II"

"Roxanne"

Queens of the Stone Age Pack

"3's and 7's"

"Little Sister"

"Sick Sick Sick"

Individual Tracks

"Fortunate Son" - as made famous by Creedence Clearwater Revival

"Juke Box Hero" - as made famous by Foreigner

"Bang a Gong (Get It On)" - as made famous by T-Rex

"My Sharona" - as made famous by The Knack

"Cherry Bomb" - as made famous by The Runaways

"Joker & The Thief" - Wolfmother

Week of November 27, 2007

David Bowie Pack

"Moonage Daydream"

"Heroes" - as made famous by David Bowie

"Queen Bitch" - as made famous by David Bowie

Week of December 4, 2007

Black Sabbath Pack

"N.I.B." - as made famous by Black Sabbath

"Sweet Leaf" - as made famous by Black Sabbath

"War Pigs" - as made famous by Black Sabbath

Punk Pack:

"Rockaway Beach" - Ramones

"I Fought the Law" - The Clash

"Ever Fallen In Love" - as made famous by the Buzzcocks

Week of December 18, 2007

Individual Tracks

"My Iron Lung" - Radiohead

"Buddy Holly" - Weezer

"Brass in Pocket" - as made famous by the Pretenders

There has to be something there for you to get excited over, and since you won't have to buy an entire pack to get the songs you want, it should be less expensive to make yourself a killer tracklist. To say anticipation is high for Rock Band would be kind of underselling the buzz, it might be a good idea to finalize your plans to get up early if you want a bundle at launch.

Latest Ars Video >

War Stories | Thief: The Dark Project

1998's Thief: The Dark Project was a pioneer for the stealth genre, utilizing light and shadow as essential gameplay mechanics. The very thing that Thief became so well-known for was also the game's biggest development hurdle. Looking Glass Studios founder Paul Neurath recounts the difficulties creating Thief: The Dark Project, and how its AI systems had to be completely rewritten years into development.

War Stories | Thief: The Dark Project

War Stories | Thief: The Dark Project

1998's Thief: The Dark Project was a pioneer for the stealth genre, utilizing light and shadow as essential gameplay mechanics. The very thing that Thief became so well-known for was also the game's biggest development hurdle. Looking Glass Studios founder Paul Neurath recounts the difficulties creating Thief: The Dark Project, and how its AI systems had to be completely rewritten years into development.